PETALING JAYA: The Election Commission will not hold by-elections for the Pandan and Setiawangsa parliamentary seats, following the resignations of Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad as MPs.
EC chairman Ramlan Harun said Dewan Rakyat Speaker Johari Abdul had informed the commission that there was no need to fill the seats.
“Therefore, there will be no by-elections for the Pandan and Setiawangsa seats,” he said in a brief statement this evening.
Rafizi and Nik Nazmi resigned as MPs for Pandan and Setiawangsa, respectively, before quitting PKR, and have since taken over Parti Bersama Malaysia.
By-elections are not a must since Parliament automatically dissolves in less than two years.
However, the Dewan Rakyat speaker may request that the EC hold the by-elections if he writes in to inform the commission that the ruling party’s majority in the house is affected by the vacancies.